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With the offensive woes there, Nemaha Valley had to rely on a strong defense in order to move on to the semifinals. Caney Valley had a chance for the tie down 35-32, but a tipped pass that led to a Moriah Rottinghaus steal and free throw gave Nemaha Valley the 36-34 victory.
Junior Kennedy McKernan started the game off right for the Lady Raiders as she drained a three just 15 seconds into the game. She would hit another triple later in the first quarter to give NV the 12-7 lead. Nemaha Valley pulled away in the second quarter to be up by as many as eight points, but Caney Valley battled back and a three at the buzzer by senior Makenzie Vining brought the Lady Bullpups within two, trailing 23-21 at halftime.
Only 10 combined points were scored in the third quarter and even though Caney Valley built its largest cushion to three points, NV bounced back to still lead by two heading into the fourth quarter. Both teams would stay close to each other, but Nemaha Valley nailed three of six free throws in the last 45 seconds to hang on for the win.
Thirteen total state appearances for Nemaha Valley and now 13 first round victories for the historic program. Only one player was in double figures for the Lady Raiders and it was sophomore Rachel Baumgartner with 12 points off the bench to be the Community National Bank Player to Bank On. Kennedy McKernan drained two threes to finish second in scoring with eight.
Makenzie Vining paced the Lady Bullpups with 13 points, who have now lost three straight first rounds at the state tournament. Junior Desiree Nelson chipped in 11 points and nailed three trifectas.
No. 5 Nemaha Valley moves to 20-4 on the season and takes on No. 8 Lyons at 3 pm on Friday. Live coverage can be heard on 92.1 FM KMZA and online at mscsports.net. Caney Valley drops to 20-4 to end the season.
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